Vessel cleaning robotic system

Abstract

A vessel cleaning robotic system includes a robotic cleaner having a cylindrical central unit from which three retractable legs extend. Each leg includes an omni-directional wheel at its distal end, a motor, up to three joints for articulation, and a collar for attachment to the central unit at a proximal end. An arm, also extending from the central unit, is configured to rotate around it, with a cleaning sub-unit at its distal end and a collar at its proximal end. The arm includes a vacuum pipe and a spraying device for cleaning purposes. Integrated within the retractable legs and the arm is a monitoring unit comprising sensors for operational monitoring.

The invention claimed is: 
     
         1 . A vessel tank cleaning system, comprising:
 a robotic cleaner, comprising:
 a cylindrical central unit; 
 three retractable legs extending from the cylindrical central unit, wherein the three retractable legs are in a tandem arrangement, wherein each of the three retractable legs comprises an omni directional wheel at a distal end, a leg collar at an end proximal to the cylindrical central unit, up to three joints and a motor; 
 an arm extending from the cylindrical central unit configured to rotate about the cylindrical central unit, wherein the arm comprises a cleaning sub-unit at a distal end and an arm collar at an end of the arm proximal to the cylindrical central unit, and wherein a vacuum pipe and a spraying device are connected to the arm; 
 wherein the leg collar of each the three retractable legs and the arm collar of the arm are positioned over the cylindrical central unit, wherein each of the three retractable legs and the arm are attached to the cylindrical central unit by the respective leg collar and arm collar; 
 a monitoring unit integrated in the three retractable legs and the arm, the monitoring unit comprising a plurality of sensors, wherein the monitoring unit includes a controller having a processor with instructions configured to monitor an operation of the robotic cleaner; and 
 a control unit integrated in the cylindrical central unit and in communication with the controller of the monitoring unit, wherein the processor is configured with instructions to communicate a set of information from the plurality of sensors with the control unit, wherein the control unit is configured to communicate to the controller of the monitoring unit to control movement of the robotic cleaner based on the set of information from the plurality of sensors; 
   a control terminal configured to communicate a set of commands with the control unit of the robotic cleaner through a control cable, wherein the control cable is connected between the control terminal and the cylindrical central unit; and   a pump connected to the arm of the robotic cleaner through a fluid hose and a vacuum hose.   
     
     
         2 . The vessel tank cleaning system of  claim 1 , wherein the motor on each of the three retractable legs of the robotic cleaner is coupled to an encoder. 
     
     
         3 . The vessel tank cleaning system of  claim 2 , wherein the control unit of the robotic cleaner is configured to communicate with the encoder for a movement of the robotic cleaner. 
     
     
         4 . The vessel tank cleaning system of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of sensors of the monitoring unit includes one or more force sensors integrated in each of the three retractable legs of the robotic cleaner. 
     
     
         5 . The vessel tank cleaning system of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of sensors of the monitoring unit comprises a set of inertial sensors, wherein the inertial sensors are integrated in the three retractable legs and configured to generate an orientation of each of the three retractable legs, and wherein the processor is further configured with instructions to monitor the orientation of one or more of the three retractable legs. 
     
     
         6 . The vessel tank cleaning system of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of sensors of the monitoring unit comprises an image sensor integrated in the arm of the robotic cleaner, and wherein the processor is further configured with instructions to monitor a position of the arm with a set of images generated by the image sensor. 
     
     
         7 . The vessel tank cleaning system of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of sensors of the monitoring unit comprises a set of displacement sensors integrated in the three retractable legs and the arm of the robotic cleaner, wherein the displacement sensors are configured to generate a location data of each of the three retractable legs and the arm of the robotic cleaner, and wherein the processor is further configured with instructions to monitor a movement of the robotic cleaner with the generated location data. 
     
     
         8 . The vessel tank cleaning system of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of sensors of the monitoring unit comprises a set of IR sensors. 
     
     
         9 . The vessel tank cleaning system of  claim 1 , wherein the arm of the robotic cleaner comprises four joints, wherein each joint is configured to bend at an angle. 
     
     
         10 . The vessel tank cleaning system of  claim 1 , wherein the arm and each of the three retractable legs are configured to rotate around a central axis of the cylindrical central unit to up to 360 degrees. 
     
     
         11 . The vessel tank cleaning system of  claim 1 , wherein the cleaning sub-unit of the arm comprises a scraper and a degreaser. 
     
     
         12 . The vessel tank cleaning system of  claim 1 , wherein the spraying device at the arm of the robotic cleaner is connected to the pump through the fluid hose, wherein a first end of the fluid hose is connected to the pump and a second end is connected to an inlet of the spraying device. 
     
     
         13 . The vessel tank cleaning system of  claim 1 , wherein the vacuum pipe at the arm of the robotic cleaner is connected to the pump through the vacuum hose, wherein a first end of the vacuum hose is connected to the pump and a second end is connected to the vacuum pipe. 
     
     
         14 . The vessel tank cleaning system of  claim 1 , wherein the cylindrical central unit of the robotic cleaner is an elongated cylindrical unit centered at an axis, with the three retractable legs and the arm extending from the elongated cylindrical unit along the axis. 
     
     
         15 . The vessel tank cleaning system of  claim 1 , wherein the cylindrical central unit of the robotic cleaner comprises an actuator. 
     
     
         16 . The vessel tank cleaning system of  claim 1 , wherein the control unit comprises an energy management sub-unit and a lighting sub-unit. 
     
     
         17 . The vessel tank cleaning system of  claim 1 , wherein the control unit comprises a decision support sub-unit configured to perform fault checking of a plurality of components of the robotic cleaner. 
     
     
         18 . The vessel tank cleaning system of  claim 17 , wherein the decision support sub-unit is further configured to isolate one or more components having a fault. 
     
     
         19 . The vessel tank cleaning system of  claim 1 , wherein the control unit comprises a safety check sub-unit comprising an overheat protector and a short-circuit protector. 
     
     
         20 . The vessel tank cleaning system of  claim 1 , wherein the control terminal is configured to have a two-way communication with the control unit.